still pinching pennies, but it’s getting better . . . we hope

My husband has been at his job for nearly two months. It’s hard to believe. Because the company insurance plans won’t kick in until he is employed there for three months, I’m still paying the health insurance premium on my individual coverage plan for the self-employed. It’s over $1,100 a month, which is a ridiculous amount of money for people who rarely if ever see a doctor. I go for my annual checkup and a mammogram every couple years (though my doctor would like me to go annually). My sons haven’t seen the doctor in well over a year. My husband is the only one who checks in with his physician on occasion. And he takes a daily pill for high cholesterol. But that’s it.

The job is going a little roughly, as there seems to be much more to do than hours in a day to do it. The other employee who was hired at the same time as my husband to do the same work was let go after just three weeks. (This firm, we’ve learned, is notorious for its turnover rate.) But my husband, being the hard worker that he is, is sticking with it. He’s earning his keep, and then some.

I’m in a bit of a lull with my work, but the pace should pick up later in the month and into November. I look forward to that, if for no other reason than to pay for that health insurance bill. I cannot wait until that’s behind us and I can start banking my earnings instead of paying for services we don’t even use.

In the meantime, I count our lucky stars that my husband has found steady employment (a friend of ours has been looking for five months) and we haven’t had to change our lifestyles too much.